Stellenbosch FC mentor Gavin Hunt has pulled no punches in a scathing critique of the ‘modern’ coaching era, taking aim at tactical analysts who rely on laptops while dismissing his traditional methods as outdated.
Hunt has been coaching professionally for over 30 years, beginning in 1995, and recently became the first coach to take charge of 1,000 top-flight matches in South Africa.
His extensive career includes stints with Seven Stars, Hellenic FC, Black Leopards, Moroka Swallows, Bidvest Wits, Kaizer Chiefs, Chippa United, and SuperSport United. Now at the helm of Stellenbosch FC, the 61-year-old boasts four league titles to his name.
Speaking after his side’s 1-1 draw against TS Galaxy in the Betway Premiership at the Danie Craven Stadium on Friday evening, Hunt criticised what he described as an over-reliance on laptops and computers by modern coaches.
“So when I came into football, there was Eddie Lewis, Jeff Butler, Clive Barker. So I am old now, and when the young coaches come in, they say they are bringing in modern football, and I am outdated,” said Hunt.
GAVIN HUNT HITS BACK: IS THE ‘OUTDATED’ LABEL DISRESPECTFUL?
“But When I came into the game, you had the likes of Jeff Butler, Eddie Lewis, Clive Barker, Ted [Dumitru], and Gordon [Igesund]. I came after them; I was the next one in line. Then Pitso [Mosimane] and those guys came three or four years after me,” Hunt explained.
“I never came in saying, ‘Yeah, I play modern football now’—which is what happens today because some guys just switch on a laptop and think that’s football. These people are ruining the game.”
GAVIN HUNT: ‘LAPTOPS ARE RUINING THE GAME’
Hunt added: “They are ruining the game because too many judgments are being made from screens. There is no longer a feel, a smell, or the ‘eye’ to see what is actually happening. A laptop will tell you to make a change with five minutes to go, but it doesn’t know the context. Do we stick, or do we go with two strikers? There is far too much of that going on, and it’s destroying the game.
“A famous coach always told me: ‘Go watch a man working on the training ground, then you will tell me if he’s a coach or not.’ It’s about how he prepares his team from Monday to Friday. The essence of the game is being lost to ‘modern’ football.
“Football has to lead data; data cannot lead football. Do I look at the numbers? Yes. But my eye will tell me the truth—like if there were ten crosses and eight of them went behind the goal.”
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